Terry Concerning item #4. Do not use spring rail felt under any circumstances, unless it is your desire to go back to that piano periodically and reglue the dampers that have fallen off where the felt has seperated. I'd have to humbly disagree with the venerable Mr. Newt on this one item. The concept is correct, use something pliable enough to act as a universal joint. Use something a bit more likely to stay together. Cloth works fine? Dale On Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:45:03 -0400 "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> writes: > I have been contemplating the sequence of procedures I would use to > construct a set of dampers and the best I can come up with is as > follows: > > 1) Cut appropriate number of 1/8" thick X 3/8" X 2-1/4" (or > whatever length > you decide) damper boards. > > 2) Cut 3/8" wide felt damper wedges, etc. into 5/8" lengths (or > whatever > length you decide). > > 3) Glue felt to board, being real careful with felt piece alignment > (perhaps best to use a jig for training). > > 4) Line up dampers side-to-side, felt side down, and glue 1/8" > thick spring > rail felt to back of dampers boards. > > Is spring rail felt the best to use (that is what Bill Spurlock > uses)? What > about muting strips - they are available in various thicknesses - > perhaps an > advantage to get best fit? What about understring felt - or is that > too > firm? What about action cloth - again, available in various > thicknesses? Or > any other felt work best? Any thoughts? Thanks. > > Terry Farrell > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dale R Fox" <foxpiano@juno.com> > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 10:53 PM > Subject: Re: Spurlock Damper Design > > > > Hi Terry, > > > > You can use aircraft ply available at the local hobby shop if you > want > > better stability than solid basswood. Renner sells nice sets of > premade > > upright dampers about 2 1/4" or so long. A bit pricey at $50/set. > Look > > inside a European upright and you will likely see a set if it is a > Renner > > action. We just make our own. Make several sets at a time as a > time > > saver. > > > > Dale Fox > > > > On Thu, 30 Aug 2001 15:21:25 -0400 "Farrell" > <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> > > writes: > > > Thanks for the input Ed. Yes, I was planning on getting enough > > > material for > > > 3 or 4 sets of dampers. I was also thinking of the mass thing. > Bill > > > indicated he made his little damper 2-1/4" by 3/8" rectagles out > of > > > basswood. I was thinking at least to start with some hard maple > or > > > any other > > > dense wood that glues well just to put a little mass in the > system. > > > I figure > > > it is not like the grand damper in that you are lifting it up - > you > > > will > > > only have a small amount of inertia to overcome because the > damper > > > travel > > > arc is nearly horizontal. I'll give some thought to the lead > thing. > > > I think > > > I will avoid the fishing weights :-). The lead I have from the > > > Stanwood > > > stuff could simply be glued to the back (pianist side) of the > > > hardwood > > > damper rectangle is extra weight is proves beneficial - or maybe > > > even > > > wrapped around the dowel damper head and secured with a drop of > > > thick CA > > > glue. I'll keep the spring tension in mind also. Thanks. > > > > > > Terry Farrell > > > > > > ----- Original Message ----- > > > From: "Ed Sutton" <ed440@mindspring.com> > > > To: <pianotech@ptg.org> > > > Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 2:43 PM > > > Subject: Re: pianotech-digest V2001 #1106 > > > > > > > > > > Terry- > > > > I have done this. It is worth doing. You may also need to > > > replace the > > > > damper wires and bend them to a different shape to get > clearance > > > between > > > the > > > > wire and adjacent damper heads. > > > > > > > > Also add some small weights to the damper heads. It will > improve > > > damping > > > > and allow you to soften the springs in the tenor and treble, > which > > > will > > > make > > > > the action lighter. One way is to drill the old damper heads > to > > > hold the > > > > little 1/4 inch leads from Apsco. Another is to wrap lead > wire or > > > clamp > > > > fishing weights around the damper wire. > > > > > > > > When you buy the supplies for the dampers, buy enough for 3 or > 4 > > > more > > > > pianos. Those trips to the hobby shop waste time. > > > > Ed Sutton > > > > > > > > > > > > ---------- > > > > >From: owner-pianotech-digest@ptg.org (pianotech-digest) > > > > >To: pianotech-digest@ptg.org > > > > >Subject: pianotech-digest V2001 #1106 > > > > >Date: Thu, Aug 30, 2001, 10:53 AM > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > > > > > > > > > > Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2001 10:34:50 -0400 > > > > > From: "Farrell" <mfarrel2@tampabay.rr.com> > > > > > Subject: Upright Damper Replacement > > > > > > > > > > Hi gang. Bill Spurlock wrote an article in the Journal in > '94 > > > about > > > upright > > > > > damper replacement. The bottom line was that he said that he > > > found that > > > many > > > > > or most old uprights had bass dampers that were too short > and he > > > had the > > > > > best luck with dampers that were from 2 to 2-1/2 inches > long, > > > equipped > > > with > > > > > three pieces of 5/8" long wedges. He described how he made > his > > > own > > > dampers > > > > > (making the little boards and gluing the dampers onto new > dowel > > > damper > > > > > heads) and the process he uses to determine what size will > work > > > the best > > > for > > > > > any particular piano. > > > > > > > > > > Have any of you gone this route? Or know anyone that has? Is > > > this > > > generally > > > > > a good way to go about getting good working new dampers on > an > > > old > > > upright? I > > > > > think most of what Bill Spurlock writes is pretty much right > on > > > target, > > > but > > > > > just looking for a second opinion. This is my first upright > > > damper job, > > > so > > > > > it's not as if I gonna draw upon my own personal vast > resources > > > of > > > > > experience. Thanks. > > > > > > > > > > Also, he does not mention using the dowel damper heads in > the > > > tenor, but > > > > > does suggest that some of the first strings in the low tenor > > > often > > > benefit > > > > > from a longer damper. Can I trust that there is nothing > wrong > > > with using > > > the > > > > > dowel damper heads in this area? And is there anything wrong > > > with making > > > > > your own dampers for all the treble strings (that originally > had > > > dampers) > > > > > and mounting them on dowel damper heads? Thanks again! > > > > > > > > > > Terry Farrell > > > > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > > > > > > ________________________________________________________________ > > GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! > > Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! > > Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: > > http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. > ________________________________________________________________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
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